


coming together

by VisionaryPowerhouse



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Idiots in Love, James was always jealous of Shiro, M/M, Rivals to Lovers, Silly Romance, hot and heavy, no one can resist keith, you didn't hear this from me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisionaryPowerhouse/pseuds/VisionaryPowerhouse
Summary: James was always envious of Captain Shirogane, and often deluded himself into thinking that he and Keith had something between them. Keith proved him otherwise.
Relationships: James Griffin/Keith (Voltron), jeith, minor Keith/Shiro
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	coming together

James Griffin couldn't hold back his gawking or dazed, dreamlike staring at the Garrison members who have promptly returned since their unprecedented disappearances. _Somehow_ they showed up with a powerful tool that was the key to the protection of the universe; _somehow_ they came back all even more desirable than they ever were prior to the Galran invasion. Lieutenant Shirogane was a dreamboat to many, this he could not argue over anybody about otherwise, so he disregarded him (he was also curious as to how he had managed to survive this long, if those rumors about that degenerative disease he held any truth to them); he got his eyes glued more onto the newly-appointed Black Paladin, that being Keith _mutha-friggin’_ Kogane. Yeah, _that_ fucker. That fucker he hated. Or still hated. Or used to hate. He didn't know anymore - _no one_ had ignored how much Keith had come into his own since his return to Earth. Even Iverson had commended him for his numerous efforts in space, as their appointed leader after Shirogane had been presumed dead for a while there. That was almost the case but that was something Team Voltron opted not to elaborate too much on lest they fry everyone’s brains with Altean Magic talk.

Griffin was situated at his table with the group, Veronica included in the equation (even if she was more affiliated with the core members of ATLAS), and he was absently picking at his unidentifiable Garrison cuisine as he pondered over the mystery of Keith’s revamped self. Taller, grizzlier, hotter, downright _gorgeous_ , immensely desirable in numerous ways. _Entirely_ out of his league. Entirely out of _all of their_ leagues!

Kinkade caught onto his uncharacteristic silence, and cracked a little grin at him as he nudged his shoulder: “Hey Mister Tizzy-Tentacles,” the nickname elicited a shudder out of their leader. “What’s got you all grumpy and ‘grrrrr, argh’?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” he defended himself, stabbing the soggy, greasy . . . _steak_? with his plastic fork and taking a bite out of it, grimacing at the odd flavors overwhelming his taste-buds. “Just amazed that they actually decided to show up.”

“Voltron?” Rizavi chimed in, glancing over at their table, all of them happily chattering among themselves aside from Captain Shirogane and Officer Kogane, exchanging a conversation between themselves. “I mean, they would have come back here to help us eventually - what made you doubt that before?”

“Uhhhh, the time it took ‘em, pretty much.” His tone spoke as if it should have been obvious to her, which yeah, it really honestly should be, but it did come off a bit condescending to his ears, in which he quickly deflated so he didn't exacerbate the issue: “Sorry, just: _what took them_ , you know?”

Rizavi sighed. “Cut them some slack. They got thrust into this war without wanting it for themselves, I bet. Shirogane was literally abducted by these aliens and he got experimented on. A lot. I mean you saw his arm! The corporal body he’s in isn’t even his! It’s a copy! A whole ass carbon copy! His essence is stuck in there or something. Some magic mumbo jumbo. Think of it this way - remember when we all binged all seven seasons of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and Buffy kept moping and bitching and lamenting so much about how much she never _wanted_ to be The Slayer? That it was a responsibility thrust upon her without her ever wanting it? It’s kind of like that with them, and _then_ we are all somehow dragged into this war - though that was likely inevitable whether they ever discovered Voltron or not - so it’s better that we give them the space we need after everything. They didn’t bring this war to us; we had it coming before we even knew it. It was just brought to us sooner upon Commander Holt’s return also surprisingly _not dead_.”

James couldn't argue there, and, defeated, he set his fork down, grumbling to himself: “What doesn’t add up to me is how _the fuck_ aren’t those two together?” He accusingly pointed at Shirogane and Kogane. “I mean, isn’t it common knowledge at this point that those two are hopelessly pining for each other?”

“Rumor has it Shiro already confessed, or Keith confessed first or something,” Kinkade shrugged, “We don’t know if they actually pursued anything in terms of a romantic relationship and - since when are you so invested into Team Voltron gossip?”

“Have you forgotten that Griffin and Kogane hooked up, Ryan?” Ina inquired, “It is only natural that James would be a bit intimidated in the presence of Shirogane around Kogane. He has always been a bit envious about how Shiro seems to hover over him like he’s crazy about him - “

“ - Which he is,” Ryan interrupted.

“That he is,” Ina conceded, “But that also doesn’t mean it’s appropriate between Shirogane and Kogane to proceed to such a drastic step.”

“Not like Shiro holds much power over Keith anymore, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t. I don’t see why anyone _wouldn’t_ want to get on Keith,” Griffin muttered, sinking deeper into his chair until his nose was level with the table. “Like, before with them it was all like “I just want to help you,” now they’re clearly something more than that, so . . .”

“You won’t know unless you ask them directly, Griffin,” Ina finalized.

“But that’s not exactly my business, either.”

“So then why are you still talking about it?”

“Talking about what?” The MFEs plus Veronica all fix their gazes upon just the face Griffin hoped not to see that day - at least not so up close.

“Hey, Officer Kogane,” Kinkade greeted as if they weren’t literally just gossiping about him. “What brings you here?”

“Him,” Keith pointed at Griffin, “We have some business.”

“We do?” Griffin asked, genuinely clueless. Keith only stared at him like he had sprouted three heads. Not that anything would be weird to him anymore, necessarily.

Rizavi giggled to herself, earning her a painful nudge on the shoulder from Griffin as if to tell her to knock it off. Keith perked an eyebrow at their antics, and Griffin deflated. Yeah, established group of friends, they were going to act as if they had some kind of inside joke regarding anything ever. Griffin hated how Keith was scrutinizing all of them especially him.

He wondered what he could want right then.

* * *

Griffin got his answer.

What he didn’t expect was passionate Frenching in the Garrison locker rooms like they were hormonal teenagers again, but he couldn’t say he was complaining. Actually he was more questioning Keith’s motives behind all of this. Didn’t he ultimately want Shirogane as his life-partner or was that something in everyone’s heads all along? Maybe something Griffin especially told himself so he could get over Keith? He didn’t know but he was more focused on Keith jabbing his tongue down his throat and feeling him up in the nastiest places!

From the few times they broke apart to catch their breaths James tried to start a conversation with Keith, specifically about whatever the Hell this was, but every time he tried he was met with desperate lips again, and he was melting into his touch. He felt warm and fuzzy and tingly in all the right areas whenever he was with Keith, back as kids and now as full blown adults doing this again like . . . like they both wanted to relive this before there even _was_ an universal war at all!

Keith continued to kiss him not just on the lips but everywhere until James was nothing beyond a bruised and marked up and disheveled mess. Keith grinned when he pulled away, beautiful gems for eyes twinkling in amusement at his handiwork.

“I see I can still leave a . . . lasting impression,” he finally spoke, clearing his throat after they finally caught their breaths from all of . . . _that_.

Griffin’s heartrate was through the roof that was for fucking certain but - he still needed to know what the Hell they were doing!

“Um, what is this?” Griffin asked, clearly breathless, eyes hazy with lust and almost tempted to go at him again like this. Not before they had some kind of communication established though. “I hope to God or whatever incorporeal being up in the sky there that this isn’t just some hookup, like I’m just a rebound from Shiro or something.”

Keith winced at the mention. “Shiro and I would never work or happen, actually.”

“So you decided to go with second best?”

The Officer pinched the bridge of his nose as he bit back an exasperated sigh. “Are we really going to do this again, Jamie? I told you, Shiro and I, we’re family. We’re not - “

“ - together,” he sighed, he didn’t know why he kept letting that natural competition between him and Shiro continue. “I still feel like you’re not telling me everything.”

“I did tell him I love him,” he elaborated, “Just not that way. I think he’s actually avoiding me for it.”

James was almost irritated (and simultaneously relieved) by that fact: “ _Why_? You did everything for him!”

“It’s okay if he needs his space, you know. He doesn’t really owe me anything. In fact all along I’ve owed him, so at this point I think my own debt to him is paid off. Maybe I said something wrong or . . . I dunno. Look, can we just drop it? You were never like a venting post or just someone I can move on with, a rebound or whatever you call it, you know, I care about you. _I like you_. I’ve always liked you.”

“And not Shiro?”

“Sure, maybe at one point,” Keith shrugged, like it was never a big deal, and it honestly wasn’t. James could understand. Shiro genuinely wanted to help Keith at one point and Shiro was also strong and handsome and desired by numerous. Likely more hero worship than actual crush at that time. He went through a similar situation with Commander Adam. “Not like that was ever going to go anywhere.”

“Well, ummmm, it’s not like I have anything going on for a while so,” James shyly moved toward Keith and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Want to come back to my condo? I technically share it with the other MFEs but we’re all always off doing our own things so . . .”

Keith grinned, a soft look in his gorgeous eyes that James could be lost in forever. “Sure, just as soon as we’re finished here.”

“What? I’m sorry, Keith, but this isn’t exactly classy - “ James swallowed thickly, " - And this is very uhhhh _public_."

“ - and since when were you ever so concerned about that?” Keith teased as he inched closer having James step back, and back as Keith continued to take more steps, until his back met the set of rusty gray lockers behind him.

Keith only made things worse by slamming his hands on either side of him against them, pinning him in place.

Now he had nowhere to go - not that he was complaining. His composure loosened as a sign of surrender.

The rest of his time with Keith was him lost in the bliss he’d missed out on since they were cadets.

**Author's Note:**

> usually i could never imagine keith without shiro in a romantic context - but i do like the potential of jeith!


End file.
